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2016 Taxpayer Turkeys: TPA Weekly Update

We know it’s Thanksgiving tomorrow, so TPA wanted to share this early and brief weekly update with all of our members and supporters. We also wanted to express our thanks for all of your support over the years.

TPA's 2016 Taxpayer Turkeys

Every year for Thanksgiving as families get together for good times, great food, and a few football games, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) presents our annual Taxpayer Turkeys! This year TPA has been paying close attention to what elected officials are doing and how they are hurting taxpayers.

Here’s our list of turkeys for this year:

Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.)

The Vermont senator ran an unsuccessful primary campaign for the nomination of the Democrat party to run as President in 2016. He ultimately lost to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but Sen. Sanders is not a Turkey because he couldn’t win the nomination, he’s a Turkey because he supports the poster child of wasteful spending at the Pentagon, the F-35. That’s right, anti-war and anti-corporate welfare Senator Sanders supports the boondoggle that is the F-35. Oh, the irony!

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)

The senior senator from South Carolina is one of the less aggressive members of the GOP caucus when it comes to fighting against wasteful spending. This year, Sen. Graham has been named a Taxpayer Turkey for his attempts to impose a federal ban on online gambling. Sen. Graham revived the unpopular Restoration of American’s Wire Act (RAWA) by trying to sneak it into Senate appropriations legislation. We will be watching to see if this turkey turns into a lame-duck nightmare.

A trio of House Republicans are Taxpayer Turkeys for 2016 for their shameful attempt to lift the House ban on earmarks. The ban on earmarks has been in place since the GOP retook the lower chamber in 2011. The three Republican members organized a secret caucus vote to bring earmarks back. Thankfully the ban remains intact after Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) chose to postpone the vote until 2017.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.)

The biggest, and most expensive, energy issue facing New Yorkers is Gov. Cuomo’s crony nuclear bailout. As part of his renewable energy mandate for the state of New York, the Governor’s plan will hand out subsidies to a select few nuclear power plants, all owned by one company. The bailout will cost taxpayers billions of dollars and the increase in electricity rates will hit all New Yorkers.

You can see the full post about our 2016 Taxpayer Turkeys here and you can listen to a discussion about the list on our latest podcast here. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

Have a great Thanksgiving with your friends and family and as always, thank you for your continued support. - David